On this date in 1812, General Claude Francois de Malet attempted to overthrow Napoleon Bonaparte. He established a provisional government, claiming the Emperor was dead in Russia. Turbulent times leads to desperate measures. Jo Graham captures the spirit of revolution in THE GENERAL'S MISTRESS:
Liberté, Egalité, Sensualité. . . .
As a spirit of change overturns Europe’s old order, strong-willed Elzelina Versfelt enters her own age of revolution. Married as a romantic young girl to a man who wanted only her money, but neither loves nor desires her, Elza refuses to be chained any longer. Leaving Amsterdam, her marriage, and her home, she flees to France—where the old rules no longer apply, debauchery is not a sin . . . and nothing is forbidden.
Yet Elza finds herself bound in a new way, to the ambitious General Moreau. And while they share pleasure, pain, and carnal adventures, she dreams of another man, an unruly red-haired soldier she first saw in the promise of a Tarot card. Drawn by this half-real, half-imagined hero, Elza defies her relationship with Moreau, and begins a perilous search across war-torn Europe. . . . But will this woman with the instincts of a survivor, the passion of a courtesan, and the gift of second sight ever find the destiny for which she has risked it all?
This stunning novel blends history with the language of the heart to tell a sensual story of an era of upheaval . . . and of the clamoring, dangerous desires of a woman’s soul.
Yet Elza finds herself bound in a new way, to the ambitious General Moreau. And while they share pleasure, pain, and carnal adventures, she dreams of another man, an unruly red-haired soldier she first saw in the promise of a Tarot card. Drawn by this half-real, half-imagined hero, Elza defies her relationship with Moreau, and begins a perilous search across war-torn Europe. . . . But will this woman with the instincts of a survivor, the passion of a courtesan, and the gift of second sight ever find the destiny for which she has risked it all?
This stunning novel blends history with the language of the heart to tell a sensual story of an era of upheaval . . . and of the clamoring, dangerous desires of a woman’s soul.
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| Liberty leading the People by Eugene Delacroix (Wikipedia) |
I am giving away a print copy of THE GENERAL'S MISTRESS to one randomly selected commenter. To enter the giveaway,
1. Leave a comment about France - what do you know about it? Love about it? Or loathe about it? I have visited Normandy. Despite the French reputation for disliking Americans, the residents of Normandy are still respectful of what took place on June 4, 1944, the D-Day landings.
2. This giveaway is open to all readers.
3. Comments are open through Saturday, October 27, 10 pm in Hawaii. I'll post the winner on Sunday, October 28.
Mahalo,
Kim in Hawaii
To learn more about Jo Graham and her books, check out her website at jo-graham.livejournal.com.
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| Bonaparte before the Sphinx by Jean Leon Gerome (Wikipedia) |
My husband was born in France. He's parents were in the military and he chose American citizenship. His mother was half French. I did get to visit Paris a long time ago and fell in love with the city. I think they are an independent type of people as we are.
ReplyDeleteI would love to visit France and see the sights and artwork in museums.
ReplyDeleteI know a lot about France from reading and from my dad and my daughter. My dad was there after the Battle of Normandy and my daughter and her family were there on vacation this summer.
ReplyDeleteHi Kim -
ReplyDeleteOf all the countries in Europe I know the least about France! I think I have latent problems with it because when I took French in High School my teachers were from France and I couldn't understand a word they spoke! It might not have been so bad if they came from the same region of France but since they didn't they sounded like they were speaking two different languages!
At the end of my second year I finally resigned myself to being able to READ French but never did understand the spoken words! I also took 4 years of Latin which fortunately you had to be able to read but didn't have to understand spoken! Thank goodness for a "dead" language!
On the other hand I think the history of the French people is fascinating and I can't believe the problems the populance faced during the reigh of Bonaparte!
I'm really looking forward to see how Jo intertwines the history during Napoleon's rule into Eliza's story in The Gentleman's Mistress.
I know their airport is not friendly to people with prosthetic.
ReplyDeleteHow nice to hear that the area and history of D-day is respected. I am sure it was an emotional place to see. I have been to Pearl Harbor and there is a feeling there, I would love to visit some other sites and see if the same intensity is there.
ReplyDelete(no need to enter me in the drawing, just having fun commenting)
I went to France about 15 years ago. Things that I like about it: Their public transportation system is terrific and their bread is wonderful! Things that I don't like about it: I can't speak French well enough to understand what's going on.
ReplyDeleteI like their buildings.
ReplyDeleteFrench Open is held in France so I like France. Plus, French is one of the languages that I would love to learn apart from Spanish. :D
ReplyDeleteI have not been to France. But my friend was just there recently and called me on my birthday to send birthday greetings. So, now I can I got a call from Paris on my birthday. :)
ReplyDeleteI studied French in High School. We studied the history & culture of France as well. It is fascinating.
ReplyDeleteI only know eiffel tower ;)
ReplyDeleteI've been to Paris, and really liked it. My husband, my son and grandson drove from London to Normandy a couple of years ago. They went to Omaha beach, and took lots of pics. My darling Dad was in the D-Day landing at Normandy, along with all the other brave men.
ReplyDeletethanks for the great post! I would love to visit France. So much history and culture.
ReplyDelete